What are the symptoms of endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a common gynecological disease, defined as the growth of endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity, such as in the myometrium, ovaries or other parts of the pelvic cavity. Histologically, this ectopic endometrium not only has endometrial glands, but is also surrounded by endometrial stroma. Its function changes significantly with the level of estrogen, and it can produce a small amount of "menstruation" and cause various clinical phenomena. So what are the main symptoms?

(1) Dysmenorrhea: It is a common and prominent symptom, mostly secondary, that is, it starts from the occurrence of endometriosis. Patients complain that they did not have pain during menstruation in the past, but dysmenorrhea began to occur at a certain period. It can occur before, during, and after menstruation. Some women experience severe and unbearable dysmenorrhea and need to stay in bed or take medication to relieve the pain. The pain often worsens with the menstrual cycle.

As estrogen levels continue to rise, the ectopic endometrium proliferates and swells. If affected by progesterone, it will bleed, irritate local tissues, and cause pain. If it is endogenous endometriosis, it can cause uterine muscle contraction, and dysmenorrhea is bound to be more obvious. In cases where there is no bleeding from ectopic tissue, dysmenorrhea may be caused by vascular congestion.

After menstruation, the ectopic endometrium gradually shrinks and dysmenorrhea disappears. In addition, in pelvic endometriosis, many inflammatory processes can be identified, most likely localized with active peritoneal lesions, producing prostaglandins, kinins, and other peptides that cause pain or tenderness.

(ii) Excessive menstruation: In endometriosis, the menstrual volume often increases and the menstrual period is prolonged. It may be caused by an increase in endometrium, but is often accompanied by ovarian dysfunction.

(III) Pain during sexual intercourse: Endometriosis occurs in the rectouterine fossa and vaginal rectal septum, causing the surrounding tissues to swell and affecting sexual life, with the discomfort becoming more severe before menstruation.

(IV) Heavy and bloated stools: This usually occurs before or after menstruation. The patient feels unbearable pain when stool passes through the rectum, but does not have this feeling at other times. This is a typical symptom of endometriosis in the rectouterine pouch and near the rectum. Occasionally, the ectopic endometrium reaches deep into the rectal mucosa, causing rectal bleeding during menstruation. Endometriotic lesions that form strictures around the rectum cause symptoms of tenesmus and obstruction, similar to cancer. (V) Infertility: Endometriosis patients are often accompanied by infertility, but the causal relationship between infertility and endometriosis is still controversial. Pelvic endometriosis can often cause adhesions around the fallopian tubes, affecting the pickup of oocytes or causing obstruction of the lumen. Or infertility may be caused by ovarian diseases affecting the normal ovulation.

(VI) Bladder symptoms: They are more common in patients with endometriosis extending to the bladder, with symptoms of periodic frequent urination and painful urination. When the bladder mucosa is invaded, periodic hematuria may occur.

Drugs used to treat this type of disease are mostly hormone drugs. Hormone therapy mainly inhibits ovulation or causes amenorrhea, causing the ectopic endometrium to undergo degeneration, followed by necrosis and absorption. Minimally invasive surgery is effective and has a quick recovery. If you find any of the above symptoms, don't panic, seek medical attention actively and cooperate with treatment, then these symptoms will be relieved.